I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

Thank you yo Montlake and Netgalley for my ARC!

First off, I loved the setting and premise of this book. It showed lots of promise, however, I could not get past the dialogue between the characters, which seemed inappropriate for their age. I am close to the age of these characters, and I cannot imagine women my age talking to each other in this childish way. I’m all for having fun with your girlfriends, but these women acted liked they were in their early 20s at most. Also, there were similar issues with the FMC, who was trying to be serious and give herself time to heal and focus on her writing post-divorce, but then she practically swooned every time the MMC was around. It just became hard for me to focus and take this story seriously.

These feedback and my personal opinions, and I do think many readers might really connect with this story.

I loved this book. I’m always looking for books with older characters who have lived a little and have realistic complications. It did take a minute to connect to the story but once I did, it flew by.
Both of these characters are caretakers. They’ve been let down in relationships and have decided it’s not for them. From the moment they meet, they’re pulled together. Friendship can be all they have, right?
This book is fun and sexy. It’s got great balance and also deals with some serious subjects.

This book is unlike any other Melissa Foster book I've ever read. It's equally sexy, funny and beautiful and deals with life after divorce. Declan is like chocolate to Nicole- one bite is never enough. These two are at the right time and right place to be ready for each other. I can't sing the praises of this book highly enough and I thoroughly recommend that you take a chance and read this wonderful book.

Hot Mess Summer was a delightful, funny and heartfelt romantic comedy that was far from a mess.

In a nutshell: Melissa, a romance author, is a bit stressed out and looking for a fresh start after her second divorce. What does she do? She buys a cottage on a whim in a small New England fishing village in the hopes of kicking her writers block to the curb and hopefully, finally, putting the pieces of herself back together.

I’m always a sucker for small towns, a loveable cast of characters and some good steam, and this book delivered on all fronts. Bonus points for older characters ( late 30’s and 40’s) and the way their relationship developed so naturally. This was a bit like an adult coming of age story that shows you that you’re never too old to have some fun/adventures and finally finding that happy place post divorce, raising kids and all that messy adulting stuff 🙄.
4.25⭐️

HOT MESS SUMMER is a spicy fast-friends to lovers story of a romance writer navigating dating after divorce. Nicole has been through marriage and divorce twice already, so she's knows what she will no longer tolerate when it comes to relationships. She's not willing to catch feelings for someone who isn't ready to full jump in, even if it's with a handsome, fish peddler named Declan who can always put a smile on Nicole's face... or will their attraction be too hard to resist? They become fast of friends and bond over being parents to young adults, yet Declan drops everything to run and help his troubled father and ex-wife, at the expense of cutting his time off with Nicole, making her leery of getting any closer. What will it take for them to realize they have a connection that is worth pursuing?

I appreciated the ending and how the author let the characters decide how they were going to end it. Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for the digital advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 starts rounded to 4.

I am pretty sure I just found my next binge read. I loved everything about this story. The author wrote a terrific story that I felt part of. It is relatable for people to imagine and think about. Restarting your life, or I should say focusing on oneself and life again, meeting new people and finally connect with your person. The characters had me laughing and falling in love right along with them. Nicole and Declan are perfection. I recommend you click immediately and start reading. I’m off to read other books by her.

4 ½ Stars for Dimple Dude and Writer Girl!

I love a mature romance when people have a second chance at finding love and happiness. I thought that Nicole was brave to change her life completely by moving away from the only place she's ever known. Then there's Declan ... who wouldn't love a silver hunk with a heart of gold? No really ... who? I did find that there were a lot of characters to keep track of and some of them didn't add anything to the story. But I loved the real life situations that Nicole and Declan had to deal with ... Nicole's daughter and Declan's dad not wanting to take responsibility for their actions. A great read that shouldn't be missed!

Nicole is a divorced author who buys a summer house where she can hopefully get rid of her writer's block. She meets a community of people who are like a family ... and she wants to be part of that family. But the guy with the dimples (who she spilled coffee all over) makes her heart flutter. Declan is the town's knight in shining armour. He's always thinking about other people, his dad, his employees, and his ex-wife. He knows he shouldn't get involved with new girl with the wild hair ... but she is all he can think about. Will Nicole and Declan be able to ignore the outside forces that are keeping this relationship from developing? Or are they willing to think of themselves for once?

I received an early copy courtesy of Montlake through NetGalley.

Foster took a trip down a different path with her new book Hot Mess Summer. And the trails and twists and turns keep the reader guessing what mood they will find the characters in the next page they turn. Talk about a hot mess and complicated lives . . .

If you want a perfect beach read..this book is it! Well, it really can be an anytime read. The banter and antics will keep you laughing. While I have never been married or divorced, the scenes dealing with older children hit home, sometimes our birds have to learn to fly with a dose of reality and it kills us to do so, as Nic faced with Kenzie. Those scenes made the book more real to me and added depth to the unfolding love story. Nic found her tribe and Declan found his girl. My favorite scene had to be the tree and the attic. Off to build my tribe, and find my own Declan.

3.5 stars Nicole decides she needs a change to try and get her writing mojo back, so she buys a summer house in a fishing village in Maine. There she meets lots of interesting new fiends who appreciate her, none more so than Declan. They originally start out as friends as they are both a bit of a hot mess, but things heat up between them. I loved the new friends Nic made and how she learned to lover herself and put herself first. Declan was so frustrating at times! He was such a good guy, but too nice at times. I liked that fact that they were both a little older and had experience life before meeting each other. This was a nice, sweet and hot read.

Hot Mess Summer is a different kind of book than I've read from Melissa Foster. I really enjoyed it. The two main characters, Nicole and Declan, are in their mid-thirties to forties. They certainly don't act like it. They have a meet cute at the coffee shop on the first day when Nicole moves to Chatemup. She turns around with the coffees she bought and runs into him spilling coffee on him. She's an author trying to get her writing going. She bought a cottage there by the beach for inspiration. Declan is a good guy who takes care of everyone. They start hanging out with friends there and have an attraction to each other. She's not ready to have a relationship after two divorces. They decide to have a summer fling. They both are drawn in by their families and past relationships that try to keep them apart. I like the ending even though it's not the normal romance book ending. I received an early copy from Netgalley. I'm leaving my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this Arc. I absolutely adored Declan and Nicole story. I rarely find a book with older main characters, in late 30d and 40s, that I actually enjoy. I feel sometimes they are just flat. But I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had a small town feel, add in that friend to lovers, add in some single parent as both are divorced with adult children. Now add in spark, sas and humor and you have a great story. I really enjoyed the cookie scene as well this really made me laugh esp all the years I was a Girl Scout. The kids played minor rolls but it took a minute for me to warm up to Kenzie. All in all a great read. Would love to see some of the minor characters get books as well.

Sweet, lighthearted and heartwarming. But, Nicole was Mary Calmes's Jory By Another Name...

This is very readable, and refreshingly, it's not what the blurb might make it sound like - there's none of the stroppy, spoiled daughter that I expected, just 3 friends having some summer fun and a catch-up and meeting the locals, who at one point, I, like the friends, wondered if they might be swingers!

Nicole wasn't an airhead, but, goodness did she seem to be the female version of Mary Calmes's Jory who has every person he meets falling for his looks, his magnetism, his hair, his charm, and 'turning them gay', though we didn't get the constant whining for Nicole-Jory to sleep with them, and refreshingly, this book didn't have the copious amounts of meaningless sex that I expected, more friendships turning into more. I liked both leads, but the neighbours came across as phony at times, and in the case of Claude, with issues that weren't ever fully explored, though he was part of the posse/fold. The two best friends were funnier and more refreshing and believable than Nicole, but that's perhaps because Nicole came across as a little egotistic - an author with some kind of writer's block written by an author who clearly doesn't have any kind of block. Maybe a different job would've made her more believable?

The tale ends as realistically as it winds its way, with the leads starting a relationship that suits them, with friendship at the core, not the tiresome supposed explosion of sexual heat that most 'romance' novels have, but something that felt more believable and with a solid core. I think I liked the casual, slowish pace, well away from the franticness and mess that some US-set romance novels can feature.

ARC courtesy of Montlake and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

ARC REVIEW (thanks NETGALLEY!)

I have to dnf at 30%, is this an autobiography?
This read like a manuscript and I didn’t care for anyone. Nicole and her besties go to her beach house she’s bought on a whim. She’s a romance author and is having trouble plotting her new book. Every person she meets wants to know her marital status and sexual history? Her and her girl crew hang out doing beach shit with a bunch of senior citizens who give off major swinger vibes. She’s picking up dudes left right and center even though she’s not all that hot and doesn’t care. Declan; mmc pops around at these old people parties and they commiserate on how awesome it is to be single. There was just so much extra fluff conversations I didnt want to read about.

It was a hard book to get into partially because of the amount of characters being introduced—it made the start feel like it was dragging when we were meeting the friends, then the people in the coffee shop, then the daughter, then residents of the place, then the mom on FaceTime, all in the first few short chapters. It felt like we were learning a lot of unnecessary facts right at the start.
There is some fun banter, but some parts feel unrealistic—and some of Nic’s thoughts feel like they’re thrown in at the last minute (like a sudden pang of missing her father, who had never been mentioned before). The character is also just trying a little too hard to be “quirky”, with comments about how different she is for doing normal things, like putting where she met someone in their contact info on her phone.
I know this book is supposed to be based on the author’s own experience, but it just doesn’t feel realistic that every single man in the town is suddenly trying to ask out Nic.
Having said all of that - after those first one hundred pages, I feel like it got a lot better, because it focused in on Declan & Nic specifically, with cameos from other characters but without feeling like they were another character too many in an overcrowded room. It was like they finally got the balance right, and I started to really root for Declan and Nic to get together! They had so many sweet moments, and so many scenes that got my hopes up for some spice - like Declan making a few comments about her body - and then the ACTUAL spice… absolutely loved it.
I also think the POV switching was done really well, where it changed to Declan only when we actually needed to hear his thoughts. That reads a lot better than needlessly switching just to alternate chapters - I liked that this was mostly one POV but changed when necessary.
Though the beginning was harder for me to pay attention to, I was a lot more interested once I got past it. The smut was hot, too.

"Hot Mess Summer" by Melissa Foster sounds like a delightful and relatable romantic comedy that explores the joys and challenges of starting over in a picturesque New England fishing village. The book's premise introduces readers to Nicole, a romance writer and single mother, who impulsively buys a cottage in search of a fresh start.

The character of Nicole, with her writer's block and the ups and downs of motherhood, is likely to resonate with many readers who have experienced their own life transitions and challenges. Her reluctance to dive back into the dating world and her focus on finding community rather than romance add depth to her character.

Declan Miller, the charming fish peddler and Nicole's adventure buddy, seems like a compelling and down-to-earth love interest. His qualities as a divorced single dad who's not interested in relationship games add an intriguing dynamic to the story.

The book's humor and witty writing style are evident in the interactions between Nicole and Declan, as well as in Nicole's humorous self-reflection as a "hot mess." The idea of finding inspiration in unexpected places, like a budding romance, is a theme that many readers can appreciate.

Overall, "Hot Mess Summer" appears to be a heartwarming and entertaining read that combines romance, humor, and relatable life experiences. It promises to be a delightful journey of self-discovery, friendship, and perhaps even love, set against the backdrop of a charming New England village.

Almost every Melissa Foster book I have ever read has been part of her larger world/series. But this stand-alone deserves all of its own love. Nic and Declan are perfect for each other even though neither one of them is looking for the other. I laughed along with all her friends at all of the hot mess men that Nicole has to work through. Declan certainly has his own -ish to deal with. But watching them work their way around to the other is full of angst, laughter, and tears…not to mention a little jealousy of moving on a whim to the coast and living right on the beach. No spoilers here but the end is also just perfect! I absolutely enjoyed this read and wouldn’t mind sequels following up with her friends ;)

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Hot Mess Summer (Kindle Edition) by Melissa Foster
This book needs way more than 5 stars. I always enjoy Melissa's books but this one really got to me. Delcan and Nicole with all their baggage are the perfect couple. She is a twice divorced writer who buys a cottage in a New England fishing village. He is a fish peddler who is always helping other people solve problems. A cute meet over spilled coffee and the stars are aligned for fun. There is angst, guilt, self-discovery, new beginnings, laughter, tears, adventures, plenty of steam, wonderful new friends and family, and a wonderful heartfelt story that I hated to end.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Easy-to-read Entertaining Romantic Funny Realistic Informative Steamy Great world building Tear-jerker Happily Ever After Wonderful characters Page-turner.

This is the funny, and VERY sexy, story of Nichole and Declan and their adventures together to find happiness in life. I enjoyed the steamy romance and the way they worked through much conflict! This was a good romance!